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Parshat Va'etchanan
by Louis Gershon
Prayer.
The opening possuk of the Sidra begins with
the words "I implored Hashem".
Rashi explains the word va'eschanan as one
of the ten terms for prayer, with its root being
Chinam, meaning free. Although tzaddikim have
the merit to ask Hashem to fulfill their requests,
they are asking for a mantas chinam, an undeserved
favour. The truly righteous never feel that
Hashem owes them.
They have no claim to demand Hashem's mercy;
rather they implore him for it. The mere fact
that that there are ten terms for prayer indicates
its unique quality as well as its diversity.
Simply put, people come in all shapes and sizes
with varied personalities and qualities. Likewise
the issues that confront us are also of a diverse
nature. People respond to challenges differently.
Therefore they pray to Hashem differently.
Some might argue that tefillah is tefillah,
prayer is prayer. One opens a siddur which is
the prayer book designated by our Sages as the
uniform manual for prayer - and prays! That's
the first mistake. In order for prayer to be
meaningful and effective, one must know how
to pray.
Reading by rote is not what our sages had in
mind when they designed the siddur. Even a person
who understands the meaning and implications
of the prayers defeats the entire purpose if
he lacks one primary ingredient in his recitation.
When one stands before Hashem in prayer he
must submit himself totally and exclusively
to Him. Prayer is an expression of love and
respect.
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